Style & Living

Recap: A strange envelope with Arabic writing on it arrives at Aliza’s house. Her mother says not to open it and secrets it away. Aliza opens the journal to distract herself from her worry about the strange envelope. In the journal, Aida found out her father is in the Syrian prison. She’s working in her father’s store. Her mother is unwell.

 Since October 7, Jewish fortitude has been evident on more fronts than the battlefront. Despite a raging war in Israel on all its borders, and the evacuation of tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes in the country’s North and South, there has been a significant uptick in Jewish people making aliyah. Nefesh B'Nefesh recently reported a 70% increase in aliyah applications, compared to the previous year, from Western countries, including the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South Africa.

New York News

 Thousands of F train riders in New York City’s subway system experienced a harrowing ordeal when they were stuck in sweltering tunnels for hours due to a massive power outage. The incident, occurring during peak commuting hours, left passengers without air conditioning, light, or communication, leading to cramped conditions and significant discomfort. Emergency services, including the FDNY, were involved in evacuating riders through service tunnels, a process that was both time-consuming and chaotic. Social media was flooded with accounts from frustrated commuters, highlighting not only the immediate distress but also raising broader concerns about the aging infrastructure of the NYC subway system. This event underscored the urgent need for investment in maintenance and upgrades to prevent such disruptions in the future.

There was a simple woman who would go to shul infrequently. She came to shul the week of parshas Vayeishev. She listened to the Torah reading and heard the story of Yosef being sold by his brothers to the Yishmaelim and being brought down to Egypt. She became very emotional, and began to cry hysterically, her heart going out to poor Yosef. It took a while for the other ladies to calm her down. The next time she came to shul (besides for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur) was the following year, parshas Vayeishev. Once again, she heard the story of Yosef being sold, but didn’t react as she had the previous year. They asked her, “What changed from the previous year?” She answered, “If he’s fool enough to go back there and be sold again, I have no pity on him!”

While I love white wines and specifically the whites from Recanati in northern Israel, this season we at the Jewish Link Wine Guide tried many of Recanati’s portfolio of red wines to consider pairing them with meat-and-potato-based winter dishes and to provide concrete recommendations for Israeli wines to give as gifts during this holiday season.  

Recap: Aliza’s mother announces her engagement to Dalya’s father. Aliza is devastated and Dalya is also unhappy.